Towing

[Tom Hallock]

I'm looking at moving up yo a bigger rig. Have a 96 6.5TD. But it ain't got the poer to pull my present fiver through the Rockies.
Am looking for a 1 ton dually that will pull up to 14,000#. Would prefer a Duramax w/ an Ally trans., around a 2002. Will the Ford or Dodge do. I guess my preference is Chevy - Dodge - Ford.
Many thanx

Tom Hallock

[DmaxMaverick]

Any of the current top 3 will fit the bill with room to spare. Only thing left is to choose which one has issues you can live with. They all have them. None really worse than any other. Don't put too much stock in track records prior to 2001. They all have new technologies now. 2002, IMO, was a good year for all of them. It is a good idea to choose the comfort level you like. Power is not the issue with any of them. What they lack off the lot can be overcame easily for very little cash (comparitively). $1000 worth of mods on any of them will have you performing in the top 1%.

Read the forums and decide. Keep in mind that they are all biased, and "the other brand" is a piece of junk. Also know that what you read on this forum, and others, is just a very small percentage of what is really happening in the real world. The forum content is mostly complaints about issues. Rarely will you see people seek out these resources because of a good running truck. I've found that there are only two reasons people find there way to the forums. Problems, and performance upgrades. I'm of the latter, most are not. From what I've seen, this site is by far the most sane (realistic). Post the same question on the other sites, and compare the responses. Be sure to put you BS filter on full blast.

Whichever way you go, don't be a stranger here. There's a lot to be gained here for whatever reason, no matter which badge you are wearing.

Good luck.

[tanker]

Tom, I go along with what was said above. Look, listen, drive, and then see what your wallet can afford. What one badge has the other does not in a lot of cases. I'm told GM has the best ride. Some have a disposable transmission. They all are up there with power. Be wary of anything just out, don't be a test pilot. ;) Buying used, you can see on the various forums, what works, and what does not. Which series had problems with what. :rolleyes:
Good luck with your search, and keep us posted. smile.gif

[Tom Hallock]

THanks for info. Have never bought new. Well, I take that back, bought a new Toyota truck many years ago an almost lost it to the sea when I couldn't get it out of the hole. Got rid of it before I really started towing weight.
I prefer buying used with still some warrenty left. Prefer to have other's take the time to get the bugs out before stepping in.
I have heard a lot about the Duramax engine an the Allison Transmission. Mostly good but with some bad. Bad, was when they first came out.
If Chevy can come up with a decent enough brake system how come Ford or Dodge can't. Most of Banks stuff doesn't work on Chevy trucks as there aren't any chips made for a 96 or below chevies.
But, I guess that there is more stuff being made for the Duramax too.
I was told that most trucks today come with a 40 gal tank. Is that true? I really get tired of filling the tank twice a day when traveling with my fiver.

[tswartos]

Tom,
Take a look at some of the sponsors on the site as u can chip your '96. JK or Heath have upgrade stuff for your truck. As for mileage...dont expect that moving to a D/A improve to much if your pulling 14k you'll just be abe to do climb the hills at highway speeds and not overheating. But that can be closely matched with about 2k in upgrades to your current truck. I must admit I'm in a similar situation as my truck can pull the load but am getting tired of messing with it to get what I need. I love driving it but not as a pulling unit...in the middle to heavy end of the weight spectrum. Snowmobiles, jet-skis and light/middle size boats are great and mileage is too. Am gonna purchase a D/A in the next couple weeks as I need the room of a crew cab and the less worrysome pulling power that I need pulling thru the five mountain ranges in Idaho.

[DmaxMaverick]

I agree about the brakes. At their worst, GM's brakes have always been better than the others. The brakes on the new(er) GM's are the best I've ever seen on any pickup. I tow heavy with my '01 (20K

[Rockin]

I was worried about the 28 gallon tank in my short box but pulling #13.5K @ 10mpg, We run 3-4 hours on a tank and it is definitely time to stop, get out, pee, get food/coffee and walk around.

[dakotakid]

Rockin

Hey - I hate to set off any alarms, but isn't the short box tank only 26 gallons? Hate to have you count on that extra two gallons - and then can't find it!!

Pat

[Rockin]

You're probably right. I never count the gallons, just make sure I have a place to fill not long after 1/4 tank. Thanks ;)

[DmaxMaverick]

Mine is a short box. I ran it out of fuel once intentionally to verify the tank size, and my limitation.

I was short of the station by about 5 miles (stupid me!)

Once the motor quit, I pumped the primer until it hardened up and got going again. Had to do that twice to get to the station. Sitting on the roadside a couple minutes must have given enough time to let the foam settle down.

Anyway, filling up from dead empty, to topped off up to the filler neck was just short of 29 gallons. 28.8, I think. Completely empty is probably about 29.5 to 30 gallons, including the filler pipe. Owners manual says the tank is 26 gallons.

I'll never do that again. On purpose, anyway.